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There is political agenda in officers’ killing - police
Police patrol in Kampala City in October. The Force has started closing down some of their posts following a string of attacks on officers. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- The armed assailants either raid the police posts or lure the police officers into an ambush and shot them dead.
- The incidents started in October when a group of 15 thugs attacked the Chinese Plywood Factory at Kigalama in Kassanda District and killed one police officer, leaving two others in critical conditions.
The police have started closing their posts that are vulnerable to attacks and merging others following a string of attacks on officers, which the joint security team described as politically motivated.
The deployment changes come after the Director of Police Operations, Mr Edward Ochom, and his team carried out a review of the vulnerability of all police posts.
The police spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, said: “The attacks we have been registering are of criminals that have been attacking police officers for the purpose of facilitating gang crimes…but we noticed that the new attacks appear unique.”
“At Nakasozi (Mityana District), they made it clear that they are attacking security personnel and their government, which makes their agenda appear political.”
In the last four months, seven police officers have been killed and their guns taken by the assailants. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The police have also not attributed the killing to any group.
Most of the cases are in the Wamala region, which covers the districts of Mityana, Mubende, Kyankwanzi, and Kassanda.
The armed assailants either raid the police posts or lure the police officers into an ambush and shoot them dead before taking their guns.
In most of the incidents, the assailants found when the police officers were abiding by the deployment guidelines, but the thugs overwhelmed them with firepower or ambushed them.
According to the police deployment guidelines, police officers must move at a minimum in a pair to be able to protect themselves and their firearm. The officers must also maintain at least two officers at the post. But the thugs have been coming in huge numbers.
Most of the police posts have been having less than three officers, which makes response to criminal incidents hard due to manpower challenges.
Mr Enanga said the merged posts will make it hard for criminals to overrun them since many officers will be concentrated in one area and with necessary firepower.
Background
The incidents started in October when a group of 15 thugs attacked the Chinese Plywood Factory at Kigalama in Kassanda District and killed one police officer, leaving two others in critical conditions.
On December 7, two police officers; Cpl Alfred Oketch and Police Constable Moses Kigongo, both of Busunju Police Station in Mityana District, were attacked by unknown assailants after they responded to a crime incident in Sebobo Village, Sekanyonyi Sub-county.
Another incident happened at Nansana Municipality in Wakiso District where thugs disarmed two Local Defence Unit personnel and made off with their guns. Five days later, on December 11, Inspector of Police Patrick Nuwagaba, the officer-in-charge of Kakindu Police Station, Mityana District, was killed by some unknown people. A post-mortem report revealed he had gunshot wounds.
